Long investigation likely in 70-car pileup on Maine highway; criminal charges not ruled out

In this photo provided by Maine State Police And Maine Emergency Management, emergency personnel respond to a multi vehicle pileup on Interstate 95 near Bangor, Maine, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. State police spokesman Steve McCausland says the pileup in Etna happened early Wednesday in heavy snow and involved many cars, a school bus and a tractor trailer. No fatalities were immediately reported but McCausland says some of the injuries were serious. (AP Photo/Maine State Police And Maine Emergency Management, Stephen McCausland) (The Associated Press)

In this photo provided by Maine State Police and Maine Emergency Management, emergency personnel respond to a multi-vehicle pileup along Interstate 95 in Etna, Maine, about 20 miles west of Bangor, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015. State police spokesman Steve McCausland said the pileup happened early Wednesday in heavy snow and involved many cars, a school bus and a semitrailer. No fatalities were immediately reported but McCausland said some of the injuries were serious. (AP Photo/Maine State Police and Maine Emergency Management, Stephen McCausland) (The Associated Press)

State police say the investigation into a 70-car pileup that injured at least 17 people on a snowy interstate in Maine could take a while.

Police say the pileup on Interstate 95 began in Carmel and Etna at about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday when the vehicles became entangled in chain-reaction crashes caused by snow and speed.

State police say the crash was the biggest in Maine in more than 15 years.

Lt. Sean Hashey says investigators may never determine exactly how the events unfolded because of how many vehicles were involved. He did not rule out the possibility of criminal charges.

The accident closed a northbound stretch of the highway for about five hours near the Bangor area.